Current motor



G. M. KIEVLAN.

CURRENT MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-8,1920.

1,406,031 ,R Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

5 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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G. M. KIEVLAN.

CURRENT MOTOR.

APPLICAUON man Nov.8.192o.

G. M. KIEVLAN.

CURRENT MOTOR.

APPLICATION HLED Nov.8. 1920.

Patented Feb. 7', A1922.

5 SHEETS-SHEET *n @noruego G. M. KIEVLAN. CURRENT MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOI/.8,1920.

1,406,03 Patentedu Feb. 7, 1922.

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@Pioli/kwa G. M. KIEVLAN.

CURRENT MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED Noma` 1'920.

2. 2. 95 1T E E 7M bs evi FH dw rinvii/111111 -bv the shafts thereof may engage entren STATES GEORGE MICHAL KIEVLAN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

CURRENT MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

Application led November 8, 1920. Serial No. 422,614.

T0 all wiwi/i t may con ocr/L Be it known that l, (leonor: M. linvLAN, a citizen of the United btates7 residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Current Motors; and l do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to vmake and use the same,

This invention relates to an improved current motor of the general type in which a power house is mounted upon floats, the power house having generators mounted therein and operated from a driven shaft extending between the floats and through a sink or box beneath the house and between the floats and the driven shaft being operated from vpaddle wheels which are mounted for rotation by the current of the stream in which the structure floats.

One object of the invention is to so mount the paddle 'wheels that they may be vertically adjusted and moved into and out of the water thus permitting the wheels to be selectively lowered to an operative position or moved uyinvardly to an inoperative position where necessary repairs may be made to one of the paddle wheels while the second is still in operation.

Another object of the invention is to so mount the paddle wheels that gears carried gears of driving shafts in the floats when the paddle wheels are in a lowered or operative position.

Another object of the invention is to so construct this device that the shafts and pulley wheels for transmitting rotary movement from the paddle wheel shafts to the driven shaft may be mounted within the floats where they will be protected from eX- posurc and' to further provide certain of these pulley wheels with clutches so that they may be released and run idle when so desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for moving the bearings of the paddle wheels and releasably holding the bearings in adjusted position with the paddle wheels in a raised or lowered position.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a. View in top plan showing the (uirrent motor in use, the dotted line position showing the device drawn in towards the bank of the stream to permit a boat to pass up or down the stream without being interfered with by the motor.

Figure Qiis a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig.l l.

Figure 3 is an enlarged View showing the current motor partially in top plan and partially broken away and shown in longitu dinal section.

Figure slis a sec-tional view taken along the line 1 -4 of Figf. i

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line .65 of Fig. 3.

Figure (3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 6 6 of Fig. 4. n

Figure T is an enlarged fragmentary View of one of the paddle wheels.

Thisimproved current motor is provided with spaced floats 1. and 2 which are held in spaced relation by the cross bars 3, the cross bars extending between the floats as shown in 3 and 5 so that the floats will be firmln. braced and prevented from moving out of the parallel relation shown. The forward end portions of the floats are flared outwardly as shown in Fig. 3 so that the water which passesbetween the floats will be forced to pass through a restricted passage and thus the water pressure increased and the paddle wheels more readily rotated. These floats carry a power house el which bridges the Space between the floats and has its floor 5 provided with an opening for communication with a sink or box 6 positioned between the floats as shown in Fig. 5. Bumper strips 7 are provided at the outer sides of the floats so'that the motor may be drawn along` the side of a dock without danger of the floats being damaged.

In order to rotatably and adjustably mount the paddle wheels S there has been provided a frame 9 which includes vertical standards 10 which provide tracks to slidably mount the bearings 11 in which the shafts 12 of the paddle wheels are rotatably mounted. Short driving shafts 13 are mounted in the floats or pontoons and carry small gear wheels 14 which are engaged by the large gear wheels 15 carried by the paddle wheel shafts when the paddle wheels are in a lowered or operative position. Since the bearings are slidably mounted for vertical movementyit .will be readily seen that when the paddle wheels are raised by m0ve ment of `the hearings along the tracks or standards l0, the gears i5 will. lDe moved out of engagement With the gears ll. ln order to permit the hearings to be moved vortieally and supported in vertically adjusted position, the standards at each end oi the floats have been novided 'with hearings .t6 to rotatably mount a drum shaft li'. The shaft l? `earries drums 18 about wl'iieh are wound cables 19 whioh connected with the hearings ll. ofthe frame, extends out beyond the standard and has its end portions provided with sprocket Vwheels 2O about which pass sprocket chains 2l.. These sprocket chains 2l are engaged by sprockets 5.12y mounted upon shafts iournaled in the hloeks Q3 and provided with crank handles 2li so that the sprockets .252 may be rotated and the sha lt li' thus rotated to permit the paddle wheels to he raised or lowered. lily lia'viiiy; a sprocket Chain enfg-aging each end ol1 the shalt 17, the shalt may he rotated from either side ot the, traine or in other words Vfrom either lioat and this permits ot easy and ronvenient operation.

The paddle wheels are of a dui'ilirato roustruetion and each is provided with huh plates 25 which tit upon the shafts lil and carry holts or rivets 2G which pass th rough the inner ends ot the spokes 52T. These spokes 2T are inafed and held in the proper radiating relation hy the rings 2S and l'rom an inspection. oi" Fig'. it will he seen that the spokes extend hexjvond the rings and have their outer end poi-tions L'll hiugredly mounted as shown at il() so that the, spolies .may more as the paddle wheel rotates. ln other words the end portions il() the, spokes 'whirh Carry the hlades ill may morey from an extended position with the outer end portions o l" the spokes in alignment with 'the inner end portions and eontaetino` therel with to a position at sul'istantially right angles to tl e inner end portions ol' the spokes. 'lherei'ore` as the wheels rotate the paddle wheels may he engaged hy the water and as the olades move ont ot the water. the outer ond portioi'is ol the spokes may drop to permit the hladesto he drawn vertirally out of the water instead of with an upward horizontal sweep which 'would rause haek pressure. l

The generators Eli. are, mounteil in the power house upon opposite sides of the box orsi nk 3 and are operated hy belts 33 which pass about pulley wheels .f-ll mounted upon. a

'lhe shaft l? at each endA driven shaft 35 whieh extends through the box 6 and has its end portions extending into the floats lf and Q. The driven shaft oarries Irear wheels 3G whieh mesh with larger ,Q'ear wheels S7 mounted upon eounterslia'tts 38 which are rotatably mounted in the floats and earryipulley wheels 5&9 about whifh pass belts 40 which transmit rotary movement from the driving shafts 13 through the me :i ,sooner oirnn ot pulley wheels 4.1 carried by the shafts 153. The, pulley wheels 39 fit loosely upon the sha-'tits 3S and the shafts 8S earry clutches having' actuating levers l43 by means et which the, clutches may he moved into and out ol" operative engagement with the pulley wheels. lt will thus he seen' that the pulley wheels can he released or locked upon the shafts and permitted to operate, t0 rotate the shafts or permitted to run idle upon the shafts. 'ily this: arrainrement`r the dri ving shafts van he rotated from a single paddle wheel or hoth oi the paddle wheels may he operatively ronneeted with the, driven shalt. i l

lli/'heu the device is in use` it is intended to have the structure positioned in thestreain and at a distance 'from the shore as shown in llig, l and it is tin-ther desired to permit` stream without heine' interfered with hy thev power plant. 'mast il will therefore he ereeted (-lose to the stream and a hoom 45 mounted upon the mast All. This hoom will ho suitrhly hraeod as shown at l@ and a truss eahloli will he provided to prevent the hoom troni breaking` oli at its eonneetiou with the mast. This mast will he liraeed by guy wires or eahies El so that it willhe ietainediu an upright position, winding' drum 49 is provided at a ('imvenient point and a Cable, 5l) wound upon thisdruin and connected with the eye al at the outer end ofthe hoorn so that the ooom rau he drawn trom the position shown iu Vfull lines ot Fig. 1 to that indieated hy 'the dottedvlines. The eye 5l in addition to heine' engaged hy the eahle 50 is engaged hy a rahlo or tow line 52 which in its turn is eonneeted with n ln'idlev 53 eonnerted willi the hits :il earried h v the lloats l and 2. lt will thus he seen that when it is desired to draw the power plant towards the shore, it is simply neeessary to wind `this eahle 50 upon the drum ifi and draw the hoorn inwardly so 'that the hooiu and power plant will assume the position indieated ln' dotted lines. lVhen it is desired to have the power plant moved out into the stream where ,the current is strongest. the drinn 'will he, rotated to unwind the eahle 5() and lhohooni will swingr out to the. position shown liv full lines. lower wires 55 lead troni the hoard 54 and are rari'ied from the insulators -monnted upon'tho mast or pole 57 to the insulators 5R atthe 'free/end of the boom and from the insulators to the insulators 59 at the top ot the mast 'from whieh they will lead to a point where the, elertrio power developed is to he stored, it will thus he seen that the deviee is so eoustrui-,ted that one or both ot the paddle wheels may he nt in operatie or held' in a raised position in whirh the wheelsI will lie held ont ot operation.

' a driven shaft extending .through the box into said floats, generators in said power house having operative connection with said driven shaft, vertical tracks carried by said floats in front of and to the rea-r of said power house, bearings slidably carried by said tracks, paddle wheels positioned be*- tween said floats and having shafts journaledA in said bearings, counter shafts in said floats having geared Aconnection with said driven shaft, driving shafts in said floats having operative connection with said counter shafts, gears carried by said driving shafts and the shafts of said paddle wheels, and means for vertically adjusting said bearings and retaining the paddle wheels in adjusted positions.'

" floats, bearings slidable upon said tracks,

2. A water power structure comprising spaced fioats, vertical tracks carried by said paddle wheels between the floats vhaving shafts journaled in said bea-rings, driving shafts rotatably carried by said floats, coopera-ting gears carried by the driving shafts and4 paddle wheel` shafts, winding shafts carried by said tracks, cables wound about the winding shafts and connected with said bearings for vertically adjusting the bearings and paddle wheels, energy transforming means and means for transmittin ro tary' movement from the driving sha ts to the energy transforming means.

' '3.'A water power structure comprising spaced floats, bearings mounted for vertical adjustment, paddle wheels between said -floats having shafts journaled in said. bearings, means for vertically adjusting the bearings and retaining the/same in adjusted pof :sitions, driving shafts'rotated fromthe paddle wheel shafts when" the paddle wheels' are ina lowered position, energya transforming means, and means for transmitting rotary movement from the diivingshaftsD` to the energy transforming means.

1i. A water power structure comprising spaced floats, a vdriven shaft extendingbe# away from the driving shaft, and co-o p 'ing gears carried by/the driving sha t and ing witnesses.

tween the floats with its end portions extending into the same, paddle wheels between said floats each having a shaft having extended end portions, driving shaftsv movement from the paddle wheel shafts to 'the driving shaft when the paddle wheels are in an operative position, and means for transmitting rotary movement from the driving shafts to the driven shaft including clutch elements controlling rotation of the driven shaft from the separate driving shafts.

5. A waterpower structure 'comprisin float means, bearings mounted for vertioa movement, a paddle wheel having a shaft journaled in said bearings, .means for vertically adjusting the bearings and retaining the bearings in the adjusted position, an a driving shaft rotatably mounted and rotated from the paddle wheel when the paddle wheel is lowered. 6. A water Apower structure comprising spaced fioats, a driven shaft including means for transmitting rotary movement from the the driving shafts, and paddle wheels mount. Av

ed for rotary movement and movement into and. out of operative relation topthe'driving 7. A waterpower structure comprising a float structure, a driven shaft, and ,means for imparting rotary movement to the driven shaft including a drivingl shaft, a paddle wheel `including a shaft, bearings for the paddle wheel shaft v,movable towards and paddle wheel shaft. In testimony whereof' I haveV hereunto set my hand inthe presence of two 'subscrib- GEORGE monat KIEvLaN.

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